manna meal

What manna meal does

Manna Meal, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 706 Central Avenue in Charleston, West Virginia, founded in 1976 by Reverend Jim Lewis. It operates a community kitchen, mobile meal service, and food pantries serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity under a "no questions asked" policy, with services delivered 365 days a year, including holidays. Its service portfolio comprises an in-person daily meal program, a Mobile Kitchen Fleet of 22-foot trucks (introduced in 2023), traditional and emergency food pantries including the only weekend-accessible pantry in Charleston, severe-weather support via Operation S.A.F.E., and the Pasta with Purpose paid-meal program.

The organization scales to 400+ meals served daily and over 146,000 meals annually, with 165,508 meals and 25,903 pounds of food distributed in 2021. It sustains this volume through charitable donations (monetary and in-kind food) from individuals, local businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, catering companies, wholesalers, farms, and farmers markets, supplemented by fundraising events (Hunger to Hope Benefit Dinner, Bean Stringin') and the Pasta with Purpose program priced at $30 per individual meal and $120 per group of five. There is no proprietary technology stack; operations rely on community-led outreach, word-of-mouth referrals from shelters and social-service partners, and direct distribution via the mobile kitchen fleet and physical pantry sites. Strategic partnerships with Covenant House, KVC West Virginia, and WV Health Right institutionalize referral pipelines established after the 2021 Family Dollar fire on Charleston's West Side. Leadership comprises CEO Amy Wolfe, founder Rev. Jim Lewis, and a board of directors chaired by President David Frercks; ownership is independent with no parent company or institutional investment.

Name

manna meal

Legal name

Manna Meal, Inc.

Website

https://mannameal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Manna Meal is a Charleston, West Virginia nonprofit founded in 1976 that operates daily meal service, mobile kitchens, and food pantries serving 400+ individuals daily facing food insecurity under a no-questions-asked policy, funded primarily through donations and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Manna Meal operates as a nonprofit organization funded entirely through charitable donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations. Donations include monetary contributions and food donations from local businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, catering companies, wholesalers, farms, and farmers markets. All donations are tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Manna Meal is a nonprofit organization that provides free hot meals, food pantry bags, and mobile meal services to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Charleston, WV. Founded in 1976, it serves more than 400 meals daily, 365 days a year, through a community kitchen, three 22-foot mobile kitchen trucks, and choice-based food pantries under a 'no questions asked' policy. The organization also operates the Pasta with Purpose program, selling spaghetti meals to raise funds for its mission.

Product overview

Manna Meal is a nonprofit food assistance organization offering a unified portfolio of hunger relief services in Charleston, WV. The core offerings include a Mobile Kitchen Fleet (three 22-foot trucks serving daily meals), an In-Person Meal Service (daily hot meals 365 days a year), and Food Pantries (both traditional and emergency mobile pantries). Supporting programs include Operation S.A.F.E. (severe weather emergency support), Pasta with Purpose (meal purchasing for donors), Bean Stringin' (annual community food preparation event), and the Hunger to Hope Benefit Dinner (annual fundraising gala). All services operate under a 'no questions asked' philosophy to remove barriers to food access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Kitchen Fleet Fleet of 22-foot mobile kitchen trucks that prepare and serve hot meals at various Charleston, WV locations, enabling flexible, responsive meal distribution to people facing food insecurity and removing transportation barriers.
• Meal Service (In-Person Dining) Daily hot meal service providing one meal a day, 365 days a year, including holidays. The West Side Mobile Kitchen serves lunch from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at the corner of Virginia St. and Park Ave.
• Food Pantry Choice food pantry providing 30-35 food pantry bags daily for individuals and families in need. Items include canned meat, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, canned soup, eggs, pasta and pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, Beanie Weenies, and shelf-stable milk.
• Emergency Mobile Food Pantry Emergency mobile food pantry serving the West Side community, initiated as emergency relief after the March 2021 Family Dollar fire. Operates as the only food pantry in Charleston accessible on weekends.
• Operation S.A.F.E. Severe weather emergency response fund supporting indoor meal access during inclement weather. Provides dignity, comfort, and a safe space to sit in addition to nourishment.
• Pasta with Purpose Spaghetti meal ordering program offering individual meals ($30) and group meal packages of 5 meals ($120). Spaghetti with choice of meat sauce or marinara, fresh salad, garlic bread, and dessert. Delivery available within Charleston area. Proceeds support Manna Meal's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 meals served daily, 365 days a year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

33 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Covenant HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Partnership initiated following a devastating fire at Family Dollar on Charleston's West Side in March 2021. Covenant House collaborated with Manna Meal to establish mobile food pantry ensuring community access to food for West Side residents.
• KVC West VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Collaborated with Manna Meal to establish the mobile food pantry following the Family Dollar fire on Charleston's West Side in March 2021.
• WV Health RightcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Partnered with Manna Meal to establish mobile food pantry serving the West Side community following the March 2021 Family Dollar fire.
• AEP Central Machine ShopminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Apex Pipeline ServicesminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Arnett, Foster and Toothman, PLLCminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Bowles Rice LLPminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Bridge Road BistrominorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Buzz FoodsminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Charleston Bread CompanyminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Corey BrothersminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Crihfield FarmsminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Debbie's CornerminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLCminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Food Among the FlowersminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Foodland SissonvilleminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Frontier Communications WVminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Gritts FarmsminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Health Care FinancialminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Healthy Life Market – K.C. & Patrick St.minorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Hudson FarmsminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• King CenterminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Krogers on Delaware Ave.minorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Panera Bread at Southridge and Charleston Town CenterminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Piggly Wiggly - Kanawha CityminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Pizza Hut - SissonvilleminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Purple Onion Fruit & Vegetable Co.minorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• R.G. Gunnoe Farms LLCminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Ronald McDonald HouseminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• S.A.G.EminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Sysco Food Service, CincinnatiminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• Thomas Memorial HospitalminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.
• WV Dept. of AgricultureminorOthersCorporate supporter listed on Manna Meal's supporters page.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Mountaineer Food Bank: West Virginia's largest regional food bank, distributing food across all 55 counties of WV. Highly comparable to Manna Meal in mission and geography, though operating a wholesale food bank model rather than direct meal service.
• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Washington DC metro area, distributing food through partner pantries and direct service programs. Comparable to Manna Meal as a regional hunger-relief organization with mobile and direct-distribution channels.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization, collecting surplus food and distributing it to communities in need. Operates mobile markets and direct distribution channels analogous to Manna Meal's mobile kitchen fleet model.
• God's Pantry Food Bank: Regional food bank serving 50 counties in central and eastern Kentucky with food distribution and hunger-relief programs. Comparable in mission, regional scope, and direct-service orientation to Manna Meal's community feeding model.
• Food Lifeline: Seattle-based hunger-relief organization that rescues and distributes food through partner pantries and meal programs. Comparable regional-scale direct-service food distribution comparable to Manna Meal's pantry and meal programs.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National hunger-relief network of 200+ food banks and the largest domestic charitable food organization. Manna Meal is a smaller direct-service counterpart operating in the same broader hunger-relief space that Feeding America's network serves.
• The Salvation Army: National nonprofit operating food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile meal programs across the U.S. Provides a broader incumbent analog to Manna Meal's community kitchen and mobile meal service, though within a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• Meals on Wheels America: National network delivering meals primarily to seniors in need. Comparable to Manna Meal in direct meal-delivery mission and community-meal ethos, though focused on a specific demographic (seniors) rather than the general food-insecure population.

Others

• St. Vincent de Paul USA: National Catholic nonprofit providing food, shelter, and direct service to people in poverty. Comparable community-based direct-service model to Manna Meal, including meal programs and food pantries, though broader in scope.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of Catholic Charities agencies operating hunger-relief programs, food pantries, and community services. Adjacent comparable to Manna Meal as a faith-inspired community-services nonprofit with food distribution programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about manna meal